Blume increases pressure on VW brands
Volkswagen announces electric GTI for 2027
09/03/2023, 10:48 p.m
Before the start of the IAA in Munich, Volkswagen is showing an electric GTI. To date, the abbreviation has only been reserved for sporty combustion engines. The Volkswagen brands are currently under increased pressure to succeed, which CEO Blume has issued as a route to take.
With an electric GTI, Volkswagen wants to sharpen its profile as an e-brand. The abbreviation, previously only used for sporty combustion models such as the Golf GTI, will also identify corresponding electric models in the future. This was announced by the head of the VW brand, Thomas Schäfer, in the evening at the premiere of an electric GTI study in the run-up to the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich. “With the ID. GTI Concept, we are bringing the GTI DNA into the electric age,” said Schäfer. A production version is to follow by 2027.
The new model is part of the strategy of CEO Oliver Blume, according to which individual brands should differentiate themselves more in terms of design, but at the same time share more technology and production facilities in order to reduce costs. “With sharpened design identities, we design striking products and increase the differentiation of the brands,” said Blume at an event organized by the group. Unlike two years ago, new IAA products were unveiled in advance.
Own return targets for VW brands
Blume, who, in addition to the group, also heads the sports car manufacturer Porsche, has given the brands more responsibility since taking office a year ago in order to increase the profitability of Volkswagen. They were each set their own return targets for this. The group should focus on corporate strategy, investment planning, plant occupancy and sales strategy.
Blume’s predecessor Herbert Diess had almost completely dispensed with vehicles at the IAA pre-event two years ago. Brand boss Schäfer had previously announced in an interview with the dpa that he wanted to bring eleven new electric models to the market by 2027, one more than was previously announced by 2026.
The aim is to show how the brand’s model designations, which are familiar from combustion engines, can be transferred to the electric age, said brand boss Schäfer. “It’s clear that we won’t be giving up iconic names like the Golf, Tiguan and GTI, but rather transferring them to the electric world,” said Schäfer. So far, the brand’s e-models have not had names, but numbers such as ID.3, and sporty models have been given the suffix GTX instead of GTI.